Manic Street Preachers - Done & Dusted

I bought this one sight unseen and unheard when it popped up on the auction site I like to frequent. I submitted the minimum bid and forgot about it until I got an e.mail telling me I'd won. This was a few months ago now and it's been sitting in a pile waiting for me to give it a spin. One of the reasons I waited for a while was I honestly wasn't all that interested in hearing a couple of remix tracks.

Then why buy it?

Like I said, I bought it mainly because I thought it was a Manic Street Preachers album, and it wasn't until later that I discovered it was a record store day deal that only contained a couple of remix tracks. Apparently there are only 2,000 pressings and the packaging wasn't much more than an afterthought ... a plain white jacket with a sticker saying M.S.P. done & dusted. It was in a really thick PVC outer sleeve that also had a couple of hype stickers. Still, it was a band I liked and I was curious.

Their 1996 masterpiece Everything Must Go is essential pop and to me remains my favourite album by Manic Street Preachers. It was also my first album by the band, which likely influenced my opinion. I'd keep getting their albums, but it was chasing the dragon. Sure I'd get a bit of a buzz, but it wasn't the same ... it didn't stop me from trying. So here I am a quarter century later hoping to capture some of the magic and I'm left feeling a bit empty and cheated.

Now, this is really is meant for hardcore fans, those who were there from the beginning when the band was a foursome comprised of James on guitar and vocals, Nicky on bass, Sean on drums and the late Richey Edwards who was credited as being a rhythm guitar player but didn't actually play on the records. He was the primary lyricist along with Nicky Wire. Although he did play rhythm guitar on "'La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" on the album recording.

Which sort of brings us to Done & Dusted, which pulls two singles from their second album 1993's Gold Against the Soul.

Side one features two remixes by The Chemical Brothers of "'La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)" and as you'd expect their frenetic and noisy and if you like that sort of thing this you'll love this. For me, it was interesting but nothing that clicked with me. I wish they'd have included the album cut as well.

Side two had a vocal and instrumental remix of "Roses in the Hospital" done by Ashley Beedle who is older than me but is apparently a DJ of some repute. I have to admit, I really did like them. Again I wish they'd have included the original single but it is what it is.

While this may not have been my cup of tea, it is definitely one of the more interesting curios in my collection, and honestly the vocal version of "Roses in the Hospital" is pretty cool.